The Wooden Swan
by snarkysweetness
Summary: During a war council meeting a very pregnant Snow decides to get some mommy practice in. (This is really Snow and BB Pinocchio but it's also Wooden Swan, so I'm marking it Emma/August)
1. The Enchanted Forest

**Title:** The Wooden Swan  
**Chapter One:** The Enchanted Forest  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG  
**Characters:** Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, & Snow White (and I guess Emma too since she's in Snow's stomach at the time) with Charming, Lancelot, Geppetto, & Granny in the background; foreshadowing to Emma/August & of course Snow/Charming  
**Summary:** During a war council meeting a very pregnant Snow decides to get some mommy practice in.  
**Warnings:** So much cute and fluff I think even I might die.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes:** Can this please happen on the show? Like…just Snow interacting with BB Pinocchio, please. I want this so bad.

Snow leaned her head back with a long sigh. Every inch of her body was sore. She'd spent nearly a decade on the run from her step-mother, living in the wilderness, abusing her body, but none of it compared to the woes of carrying a child. She hoped Charming appreciated what she was going through for him, because she had no desire to ever do this again.

The kingdom would just have to deal with having a female heir because Emma would be the only one.

She drowned out the sound of Charming and Lancelot's new plans to raid Regina's castle and take her prisoner. Snow knew any plans to capture Regina would be futile, but she'd allow them to have their hopes for glory before shooting them all down later. Aside from the fact that it would be a suicide mission, she was Queen here, which meant that she called the shots.

Plus, who wanted to argue with a hormonal, pregnant woman?

And she was _not_ losing her husband because he wanted to be a big damn hero.

Snow turned her attention to her right, sending a small smile to her best friend, who sent her a sympathetic shrug. Next to her, Granny snorted at Lancelot's suggestion that they throw Regina in a cell with Rumpelstiltskin, negating the need for Snow to tell them what a horrible idea that would be.

From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Geppetto leaning down to pat his boy on the head and Snow found herself inadvertently leaning over in her chair to get a good look at him. He was an adorable child; mild-mannered, helpful, and kind. She caught herself smiling at his as he looked up from his carving and he shyly smiled in return.

Snow tried to justify her actions as needing to spend time with children since she was to be a mother soon, but really, she just wanted to play with the young boy. Geppetto was a wonderful father, but Snow knew full well what life without a mother was like and she wanted to reach out to him.

She settled herself on the floor next to him and shrugged off Charming's warnings that the floor was too cold. Red tossed Snow her cloak and Charming gave up trying to reason with her.

"What are you working on, Pinocchio?"

"A present for baby Emma," he said proudly, holding up a misshapen piece of wood.

Snow tried to figure out what it was, but she eventually gave up.

"What is it?"

"A swan; to match her blanket."

Granny held up the knitting she'd just begun and sure enough, Snow could make out the bottom of a swan embroidered into the fabric. She gave Granny a smile and returned her attention to Pinocchio as Red joined them on the floor.

Ruffling his hair, Red kissed the top of Pinocchio's head, making the little boy blush.

"Will you make me a wolf, next?"

"I can't, Miss Red, Papa and I are building a crib for baby Emma, but I promise I will when we're done."

Snow felt tears sting at her eyes. He was the most precious thing she'd ever seen. If her Emma was half as wonderful as he was, she'd have a hard time telling Charming 'no' when he asked for a son.

"I see what's going on here; you're starting early, aren't you? I've seen many a lad work hard to woo a female, but I'm impressed, Pinocchio; I've never seen someone begin paying up his dowry before the young maiden is born."

Pinocchio made a confused face, abandoning his work to glance up at Red.

"Don't lie to me, young man, you want to marry yourself a princess, I get it. But not to worry, I have it on good authority that you're already set to marry the princess," she told him with a wink.

Pinocchio made a face.

"Eww, that's gross, Miss Red, she's just a baby!"

Snow bit back a chuckle. That Red was a wicked one.

"Don't worry, Pinocchio, by the time you're to marry Emma, you'll both be grown up," Snow teased.

"But what if I don't want to marry her?"

"She'll be heartbroken, I'm sure. How could she not? You're a fine young man; I can't imagine you won't be a dashing knight in her guard someday."

"Really, your majesty, I can be a knight?"

Snow laughed and kissed the top of his head.

"You can be anything you want, Pinocchio. In my kingdom, anyone's dreams can come true."

"Can I finish Emma's present first?"

Snow and Red exchanged an amused look.

"Of course," Snow told Pinocchio seriously, watching as he went back to his work diligently.

It was too soon to be thinking about royal weddings, but if Snow had her pick, Emma would follow in her mother's footsteps in not marrying a real royal.


	2. Storybrooke

**Title:** The Wooden Swan  
**Chapter Two:** Storybrooke  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** PG  
**Characters:** Emma, August, & Snow; Emma/August & Snow/Charming  
**Summary: **Emma finds the gift August made for her.  
**Warnings:** So much fluff  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **I really loved the first part of this story so I had to like…write what happened in the present. This is so not as good as the first chapter because I like…am seriously in love with it, but I still love this, so hopefully I'm not the only one.

"August, what the Hell is this?"

Emma's voice broke August out of his daze of pleasant daydreams of waking up next to her, kissing her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Seeing the adorable, confused look on her face, he felt torn on which image he preferred.

Definitely this one, he decided after a moment, because at least this Emma was real.

"That? It's a wooden swan, Emma," he responded in a cheeky tone, amused with her 'smart questions'.

"I can see that, why do you have this?"

August moved around his father's work bench and reached out to take it from her, pretending to examine it carefully.

"Well, seeing as I made it, I guess it ended up here with my father, instead of back in your nursery where it belonged."

"You made that? What…for me?"

"That's usually what 'in your nursery' implies, Emma."

Emma glared at him, not amused.

"Okay, why did you make that for…" She seemed to realize something and watched him for a long moment. "Did you make that before we came here? I mean, obviously you did, but I mean…you made me a present before I was even born?"

Her voice went soft and she took the swan from his hands, running her fingers over the smooth wood delicately, happy to have something else from her childhood to hold onto.

Not able to help himself, August reached out to tuck a loose piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I made you a lot of things before you were born, Emma. But this is special."

Emma looked up at him, looking more beautiful and vulnerable than he'd ever seen her before.

"Why?"

"Because I made that the day we got engaged."

Sweet Emma suddenly became pissed off Emma.

"WHAT?"

"He's right, Emma, I remember that day."

Snow approached from the house and ruffled August's hair before placing a hand over her large stomach. She moved to run her hand over the crib August had generously offered to build for the new arrival, nodding in appreciation.

"You…what?"

Snow winked at August before turning to Emma seriously.

"I thought my daughter would rather be married a brave, wonderful young woodcarver than to be sold off to some dull, pompous prince. Are you not happy with my choice of groom for you?"

"We really should start on planning that wedding…you're lucky I'll still have her, being as ruined as she-"

Emma hit August's arm hard and he caught her, laughing before leaning down to kiss her. She returned the kiss for a moment before pushing him off of her.

"That's not funny."

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you planning to break our engagement, then, princess?"

Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the lips.

"Maybe…I mean, I think I deserve something better than a stupid wooden swan," she teased.

August leaned down so he could whisper without Snow hearing.

"Then you'll have it. You can have anything you want, Emma. Someone once told me that I could have anything I ever dreamed up and now I have you, so I guess it's your turn."

Emma frowned.

"That's really not fair, no girl can say 'no' to that."

"Then I guess you're just going to have to honor the arrangement I made with your mother."

"I guess so, then," Emma whispered, leaning up to capture his lips with hers, while clutching the small treasure that would forever mark the life they'd always been meant to share with one another.


End file.
